Egg-case.



Patented July 17,1900. c. la` LA FLEUR. M

EGG CASE (Application led Jan. 9, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

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M Sme/Mofa- No. 653,8I2. Y Patented July 17, |900. c. E. LA FLEUR.

EGG CASE.

, (Application tiled Jan. 9, 1900.) w "Uden 2 sheets-sheet 2.

UNrrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. LA FLEUR, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSTGNOR TO GEORGE A. HORNER AND ARTHUR L. HORNER, OF `SAME PLACE.

EGG-CAS E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653.812, dated July 17, i900.

Application filed January 9,1900. serial No. 8'14. (No man.)

To z/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. LA'FLEUR, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of 912 North Arlington avenue, city of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Egg-Cases, of whichY the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a combination of ro egg-case fillers and intervening ilats, and has for its object to increase the carrying capacity of an egg-case. 5

Heretofore egg-case fillers have been made by arranging a series of strips of pasteboard with transverse slits running halfway through the strips and interlocking these strips notch to notch, so as to form an egt,- case ller divided into square cells. Another form of egg-case filler is that described in'a zo previous patent granted to me, No. 621,609, 'which is composed of a series of hexagonal cells. Both of these forms of egg-case liller when combined with a suitable tlat or intervenin g sheet of pasteboard molded into proper z5 forms may be made of less height' than at present, and when combined in the usual eggcase, consisting of two compartments twelve and one-half by eleven and ve-eighths by eleven and iive-eighths inches, an additional 3o filler may be inserted and the egg-case will carry in the aggregate a larger number of eggs than is now carried by a similar case fitted with fillers in their present form.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a series of egg-case fillers arranged one above the other with suitably-indented intervening ilats and a different dat upon the bottom and top. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the strips of paste 4o or straw board of which the square egg-case iiller is made. Fig. 3 is an edge view of iat for use between fillers. Fig. 4 is a plan view of two honeycomb egg-case iillers-that is to say, fillers formed by a series of hexagonal cells superimposed upon one another and caused to lap cells with one another. It also shows a Aportion of the flat used with this kind of iiller, having alternate elevations and depressions. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a 5o series oi eggmese llers of the honeycomb `type with intervening lia-ts and filled with eggs, showing the relation between the alte-11d nate fillers and iiats and the position of the eggs and the difference of shape between top and bottom and intervening fillers. Fig. 6 55 is a side elevation of the strips of board of which the honeycomb filler is made for top or bottom.

Referring to Fig. 2, that ligure illustrates the usual form of strip of board of which the 6o square egg-case filler is made, except that it is provided vwith a series of curved notches on both of its edges. These notches are located immediately above and below the slits which form the joints or intersections of the strips of board placed at rightangles to one another to form cells. It will be noticed that when a series of parallel strips like those shown in Fig. 2 and a similar series of strips located at right angles to the first series are 7o placed together, the slits interlocking, a ller having square cells, which is shown in Fig.

1, will be formed, which will have depressions at the intersections of the boards. The flat which is used with this form of filler is shown in Fig. 1 and has a series of alternate elevations and depressions, the depressions arranged to register with the intersections of the boards forming the filler and with the depressions formed by the 8o notches in the boards and the elevations stand ing centrally over the cells, so that each cell will have a concave top and bottom on the inside. It will also be noticed that the series of` fillers which are placed one above the other are arranged so as to lap cells centrally with one another-that is to say, the axes of one series of cells intersect the intersection of the boards which form the adjacent llers, and lthe same is true of the 9o axes of the cells of alternate fillers above and below. When, therefore, the fillers are constructed with a full series of cells on two sides and a series of half-cells on two sides and are placed alternately, as Ashown in Fig. 1, the centers of the cells of one filler will be over the intersections of the boards of the ad jacent fillers, and when a suitable fiat having alternate elevations and depressions registering with the centers of the cells on each loo side of it is interposed between each two of a series of fillers each cell of each filler will have a concave top and a concave bottom, and the Vangular space between eggs will be utilized and an economy of space result.

Fig. 4 shows a filler made in the honey comb form-that is to say, in which each cell is hexagonal in shape. The filler is formed in the manner described in my Reissue Patent No. 11,802, issued January 16, 1900. In this form of iiller there is always on both sides of the tiller a series of half-cells which are useless, and by reversing the positions of two fillers the fillers can be made to lap cells centrally with one another, the half-cells of one filler being superimposed upon the whole cells ot' its adjacent filler. With a filler of this kind a iiat similar to that shown in Fig. 4 is employed, having a series of alternate elevations and depressions, which when placed between two fillers and above and below them will result in providing each cell with a top and bottom which will be concave on the interior. This construction is illustrated in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the strip of which the hexagonal cells are made for bottom and top, showing alternate panels notched on one side to correspond with the depressions of the flat, the intervening llers being notched on both sides.

Referring now to Fig. 2, 1 is a strip of paste or straw board usually employed for making fillers, provided with a series of transverse slits 2 2, extending at least half-way across the strip, and provided also with a series of curved notches 3 3 3 on each edge which are located above and below the slits 2 2 2. One end of the strip 1, which is marked 4, is shorter than the other, although it may be of any length, and the other end 5 is of a length equal to half the width of a cell. Vhen fillers are formed of these strips, the ends 4 4 4 being left to project on one side and a similar series oi' ends like 4 4 4 on the adjacent side, they are then bent down and fastened dat. The ends 5 5 5 of both series of strips project on two adjacent sides, leaving on those two sides a series of useless half-cells. The ller 6 (shown in Fig. 1) is so constructed. Filler-7 (shown inFig. 1) is reversed in position, so that the edges of the full sections of that iiller will coincide with the ends 5 5 5 of the boards below. The filler 8 is of similar character and position to filler 6. The flat employed for these fillers is provided with a series of elevations 9 9 9 and a series of depressions 10 10 10. The elevations of the dat are designed to stand centrally over each cell. The depressions rest in the notches which exist at the 'intersections of the boards forming the cells. The reversal of the position of the intervening filler, as 7, will cause the cells of filler 7 to stand immediately below the elevations in the flat which divide 7 and 8, and thus the cells'of filler 7 will have a concave top and bottom on the inside.

Referring to Fig. 3, the ller 11 is located on the bottom, filler 12 above it, and the halfcells of iiller 12 on the two edges are located above the full cells of filler 11. The contacting walls between the sections of which the iiller 12 is formed are located centrally over the cells ot' filler 11, and the contacting walls of the sections of which ller 11 is formed are centrally located below the cells of the iiller 12. The iiat 13 is provided with a series of elevations and depressions-elevations 14 14 14 and depressions 15 15 15. The elevations 14 14 14 stand centrally over the cells of the filler 12, and the depressions 15 15 15 would stand centrally under.the cells of a filler occupying the position of a filler identical with iiller 11. Thus each cell of each filler, as is shown in Fig. 4, would have a concave top and a concave bottom on the inside which will conform to the shape of the egg and support it with the utmost firmness and economy of space.

The economy of my invention consists in utilizing the space usually left between eggs when they are packed in fillers the axes of the cells of which are coincident. By-soconstruct-ing the fillers as to cause the cells of each filler to break cells with those adjacent to it and providing the Hats with alternate elevations and depressions the egg-space of each filler may be made to protude into the space between eggs in its adjacent filler, and thus the heighth of each filler may be les` sened, and in the usual size eggcase-about twelve and one-half inches, high-I can introduce one more filler than usual-#that is to say, I can put in six layers of eggs into the space which formerly accommodated but five; It will be noticed that this economy is the result of the overlapping of the cells in the vertical sections; but the top and bottom layers of the cells must be the fullheightof the egg, and as they overlap but on one side the top and bottom fillers must be made somewhat higher than the intervening fillers and be notched on one side only.

The utility of the device described in this specification will be manifest when it isstated that the usual egg-case consistsoi:` two compartments each of which measures twelve and one-half by eleven and tive-eighthsby eleven and five-eighths inches. In a case of this size the old square-cell ller would pack thirty dozen eggs, my new square-cell filler will pack thirty-six dozen, my old honeycomb filler will pack thirty-live dozen, and my new honeycomb filler will pack forty-two dozen.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an egg-case, the combination of a filler comprising a series of cells, with a flat having a series of depressi-ons corresponding .in number and position with the cells of the filler, and so arranged as to registerwith the axes of the cells.

2. In an egg-case, the combination of a series of fillers each composed of a series of cells, adjacent fillers being so arranged as to ICO IIO

lap cells centrally with those above and below it, a series of flats adapted to be interposed between the iillers, and provided with a series of alternate depressions and elevations arranged to register with the cells above and below so that each cell will have a concave top and bottom on the inside.

3. in an egg-case, the combination of aseries of strips of board of which the filler is made, suitably scored and notched, so that when secured together the filler will be provided upon its surface with a series of notches in the intervening walls between cells, and a flat provided with a series of depressions corresponding in number and position to the notches of the filler, and which will register therewith.

4. In an egg-case, the combination of a ller comprising a series of cells, with a flat having a series of elevations corresponding in number and position with the cells of the ller, and so arranged as to register with the axes of the cells.

5. In an egg-case, the combination of a series of llers, each composed of a series of cells, the cells of each iiller lapping centrally the cells of adjacent fillers, in combination of a series of flats having alternate elevations and depressions, registering with cells above and below it, the egg-space of each cell protruding into the adjacent iller and between the egg-spaces thereof.

Signed by me at the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, this 27th day of December, 1899.

CHARLES E. LA FLEUR. lVitnesses:

CHARLES H. MILLIKIN, W. W. POWELL. l 

